Mental Health Parity Passes N.C. General Assembly
Good news in my inbox, from the Mental Health Association in North Carolina:
The Mental Health Association in North Carolina Public Policy Alert
MENTAL HEALTH PARITY PASSES THE NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY!!!!
Today, July 12, 2007, after 15 years of tremendous advocacy efforts, mental health parity passed the NC General Assembly! This victory marks a historic day for North Carolina. The final House vote was 114-2. The bill will now go to the Governor for his signature, which should take place within the next several days.
About House Bill 973:
1. HB 973 covers all group plans.
2. HB 973 covers 9 diagnoses at full parity – bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, paranoid and other psychotic disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
3. HB 973 covers all other mental illness diagnoses at financial parity – meaning deductibles, coinsurance factors, co-payments, maximum out-of-pocket as well as annual and lifetime limits must be the same as for physical illnesses.
4. Mental illness diagnoses not included in the 9 listed above may have different durational limits, but the minimum benefit required must provide for:
Thirty (30) combined inpatient and outpatient days per year and
Thirty (30) office visits per year
The law becomes effective July 1, 2008.